Airline Passenger Who Tried to Enter Cockpit and Open Exit Door Sentenced to 19 Months in Prison

The American Airlines logo on top of the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on Dec. 19, 2017. Michael Ainsworth/AP Photo

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—A airline passenger who tried to craft a shank from plastic cutlery and open the cockpit door during a flight has been sentenced to 19 months in prison.

A federal judge in Missouri handed down the sentence Thursday against Juan Remberto Rivas, 52.